Equestrian Games draws 200,000; ends with 3 championships Sunday

Jennifer Heaslip, Times-News Staff Writer

Sunday

Sep 23, 2018 at 10:43 PMSep 24, 2018 at 10:09 AM

Unofficial numbers show the World Equestrian Games at Tryon International Equestrian Center drew a little more than 200,000 people, organizers said Sunday before the final two events, jumping and driving, brought the two-week event to a close.

The games were originally forecast to bring 500,000 people to the region.

“No doubt this has been an extraordinary two weeks … we’ve had our challenges along the way,” said FEI President Ingmar De Vos.

Organizers with the Games, TIEC and the FEI jointly had to make tough decisions, he added, including the cancellation of the Freestyle Dressage and Endurance competitions due to weather and concerns for horse welfare.

“Despite these challenges, we have had incredible sport,” De Vos said.

Several teams qualified for the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo in Dressage and Eventing during the Games, which began under the threat of Hurricane Florence but ended with warm, sunny weather.

Late Sunday morning, TIEC Chief Operating Officer Sharon Decker said they were still selling tickets for the day’s jumping and driving championships, and final attendance numbers wouldn’t be available until the evening. However, she said it looked like attendance would hit a little more than 200,000.

“We’re thrilled with the turnout,” she said, citing the difficulties with the weather due to Hurricane Florence. “Our goal is to grow the sport. We see this as a beginning in a lot of ways.”

With the hurricane bearing down, Decker said TV stations were telling people to stay away from the Carolinas. The busiest day predicted for the Games was Sunday, Sept. 16, but the day’s events were canceled due to a soaking from the remnants of Hurricane Florence.

Decker said TIEC “would certainly be open” to hosting the World Equestrian Games again.

“It’s not an ending for us; it’s really the next step,” she said. “We’ll be glad that we’ll be a little more mature.”

However, the future of the format of the Games is up in the air. “We have been a victim of our own success,” De Vos said. Equestrian sports are growing around the world, and the Games is now looking at a capacity issue as it looks for venues capable of hosting the large international event.

Organizers will evaluate the situation and make a decision later in the year, he added, keeping their options open as they consider all of the parameters.

They have received no bids as of yet for the next Games in 2022, said Sabrina Ibanez, FEI secretary general, but several countries have expressed interest. When evaluating the future of the Games, they will have to keep in mind what is best for the sport.

An investigation into an error during the Endurance competition, which sent some riders in the wrong direction and forced a restart before the race was canceled due to concerns about horses’ health, has been expanded, De Vos said. It’s also raised concerns about whether the event will continue to be a part of the Games.

“The future of Endurance depends on our next move,” De Vos said of the investigation. “We need to get this right.”

A timing error in marathon driving earlier in the week occurred when timing cables had to be cut when they became entangled with an American competitor, De Vos said. It was a regrettable human error, he said, adding, “It is only those who do nothing who can never make an error.”

The Games concluded with a gold medal for the United States in the FEI World Team Driving Championship after Sunday's cones competition, and Chester Weber of the United States took the silver medal in the FEI World Individual Driving Championship.

The Netherlands took the silver team medal and Belgium the bronze. Boyd Exell of Australia took gold in the individual competition and Edouard Simonet of Belgium took the bronze. Americans James Fairclough finished in 11th and Misdee Wrigley-Miller finished in 16th.

Simone Blum of Germany took the win in the FEI World Individual Jumping Championship Sunday, followed by Martin Fuchs of Switzerland in second and Steve Guerdat of Switzerland in third. The jumping competition consisted of four days of jumping that ended Sunday with a first round of 25 riders, followed by a 12-rider jump-off.

McLain Ward of the USA placed fourth, after three of the four American competitors made it to the jump-off. Laura Kraut placed 10th, Adrienne Sternlicht 11th and Devin Ryan 16th in the field of 124 starters.

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